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If you like old watches, chances are you like old things. And if you like old things, you may be a Pawn Stars fan. You know, the History channel's look at a family-run Las Vegas pawn shop and the unbelievably strange stuff that comes through its doors? Well on a recent episode, all vintage watch nerds' hearts went aflutter when a watch showed up. But it wasn't some boring old Rolex or gold Patek Philippe. Nay, it was a Heuer, and a damn cool one at that.

If I had told you a few weeks ago that TAG Heuer did not have a New York City boutique, you probably would not have believed me. But it was true. This changed on January 28th with the opening of a TAG boutique on Fifth Avenue, between 54th and 55th streets. The shop stocks everything from your basic Carreras to TAG Heuer leather jackets to the epic MikrotourbillonS. Here have a full photo tour of the boutique for you, along with TAG Heuer CEO Stephane Linder's thoughts on what the boutique means to TAG as a brand and what we can expect to see going forward.

It's been a mystery that has intrigued serious Heuer collectors for years: what was the origin of the early ("first execution") two-register Autavia that says "Kingon" on the dial and caseback instead of Heuer? There are 6 (or possibly 7) known examples of this unusual watch, which is essentially a variant on the first execution Heuer Autavia (like the one sold by Antiquorum went for $25,000 in September). Well, here we've got the scoop on just what's behind that Kingon signature and exactly what you should know about these rare early Autavias.

Ben's detailed article from this summer dissecting the 1963 Mark 1 "Double-Swiss Underline" Rolex Daytona on the occasion of its 50th anniversary has already become a reader favorite. And while just last month we saw an early 1963 Daytona sell for close to $300,000 at the Christie's "Lesson One" Daytona auction, we believe that it wouldn't be right to let 2013 pass without diving into the origin and details of the other legendary chronograph celebrating its 50th anniversary: the (TAG) Heuer Carrera. You simply won't believe how much this watch shares with early Daytonas...

A group of thirty dedicated Heuer collectors recently made a pilgrimage of sorts to the TAG Heuer Headquarters and Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds to meet, discuss all things (TAG) Heuer, and of course enjoy some watches. It ended up being an extraordinary opportunity to see some of Heuer's greatest creations going back more than half a century. That Jack Heuer himself was our host certainly didn't hurt. Click through for the full story and a ton of awesome photos.

Today marks Jack Heuer's last day as Honorary Chairman of TAG Heuer. Jack has decided to hang it up in order to finally be able to enjoy retirement. Why today, November 18th? It is the day before his 81st birthday and he had told himself he only wanted to work until he was 80. We know Jack won't be disappearing into the sunset quite yet, as he has an autobiography coming out soon. However, we would like to mark this occasion by highlighting a few of his many accomplishments.

TAG Heuer already makes one of the best chronographs under $10,000 in the caliber 1887. Stephen reviewed it here, and found it to offer really a tremendous amount of technical virtues not just for the dollar, but in general. The movement feels much more expensive than it is. But TAG didn't stop there, and just yesterday, at its brand new manufacture in Chevenez (we'll get to that later), we were shown an entirely new caliber that, to me, shows just how serious this company is about its future as a high-end chronograph manufacture. The Caliber 1969 is a gorgeous new caliber, designed and developed completely in-house, and it hits all the right notes for me. Here's why...

The Monaco might be one of the most recognizable watches of the 20th
century, no doubt due to a phenomenal amount of money spent by TAG Heuer
in celebrating its connection with Steve McQueen during the filming of
the absolute best really bad movie of the 1970s, LeMans. But, what is
the original Monaco like to wear, and live with? We see this watch
posterized so much, it’s often easy to overlook what this watch is like
from a personal perspective, and while I’ve owned vintage Carreras and a
self-winding Autavia, I’d never actually spent much wrist time with an
original Monaco. Until recently, when I spent a full week with the
vintage Heuer Monaco 1133(G) on the wrist. Here is what I thought of
it. But first, a little perspective...

This year at Basel World, TAG Heuer introduced the new TAG Heuer Carrera Flyback, utilizing the brand's Calibre 36 movement. This watch takes aesthetic inspiration from the Heuer stopwatches of the 1960s and uses the excellent El Primero based movement to great effect. Jeff Stein of On The Dash recently stopped by HODINKEE HQ to share his thoughts on the pedigree of the Carrera Flyback and how it fits into the histories of both TAG Heuer and flyback chronographs in general.

I tend to think that the best way to understand an icon of today - you know the types of watches I'm talking about, the Speedmasters, Submariners, and Royal Oaks of the world - is to take a look at the earliest iterations; the watches that left the factory first and set the overall tone for a particular model that would change wristwatches forever. So, just like I did for the AP Royal Oak "A-Series" here, I now present you with a detailed look at the earliest examples of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. I'll tell you what to look for when examining early models and how to spot the only 50 year old Daytonas out there. I'll be honest, this was a really fun article to write and I think you'll love it. This is old school 'Dinkee goodness.

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Friday March 3, 2012

HODINKEE is one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Launched in 2008 by then 25-year-old Benjamin Clymer, the site quickly gained notoriety for earnest looks at some of the industry’s most interesting, and occasionally forgotten timepieces.